Closure of tissue openings, such as, for example, for surgical incisions and accidental lacerations or wounds, is critical both to minimize the risk of infection and to promote optimal healing of the wound or incision. Both of these outcomes require rapid wound closure and careful skin edge approximation. Closing a tissue opening or wound requires a mechanism for drawing both sides of a tissue opening together to promote healing and to reduce the formation of scar tissue.
Previous wound closure systems included various categories of materials passed through the skin, such as staples and sutures, substances that cover skin edges and hold them adjacent, such as glues, and adherent structures, such as strips. Common methods for closing tissue openings caused by lacerations or surgical incisions are suturing and stapling. Both of these procedures are invasive, which can traumatize and compromise the integrity of the tissue opening and the nutrient blood supply to the healing tissue edges. They cause pain, increase the possibility of infection, expose the surgeon, as well as the patient, to blood-borne disease, leave behind scars, and require a follow-up visit for suture or staple removal. Surgical glue is also used, but has only been proven adequate for small wounds where skin edges are not widely separated or under tension during closure.
Typical techniques of suturing to minimize the resulting blemish that occurs during the healing process require a threshold of dexterity that many care providers do not possess. This is particularly true in emergency situations, which often require immediate treatment to secure the tissue opening to allow for transport or until such time as proper surgery is possible. Suturing even by a skilled surgeon punctures and stresses tissue causing scarring. An easy to use, suture-less tissue opening closure system would be a great benefit in many situations.
Scientific principles show that cosmetic outcome in wound healing is largely determined by apposition and eversion created during wound closure. Eversion is critically important as expected scar formation includes myofibril contraction, which ultimately draws the scar slightly below the surrounding skin level. This is often seen in surgical scars, which have divets or slight depressions in the center. Eversion prevents or at least minimizes this phenomenon by starting with slightly raised skin which lays flat after the universal process of contraction, which occurs at about 2-3 weeks after injury. The medical community generally recommends skin edge eversion to promote the least noticeable scar. Unfortunately, skin edge eversion and apposition is difficult to achieve with simple stitches or glues. More complex stitches and devices that promote adequate eversion and apposition are time consuming to place and are used in less than one case in one hundred. Additionally, conventional tissue closure devices for tissue do not allow for the breathing and the egress of tissue fluids. Often, the durability of the applied tissue device is compromised by the impervious barrier to moisture and other substances beneath polymer components. This may lead to dislodgement of the tissue device.